Betsy and the Boys

By Carolyn Haywood

Carolyn Haywood's stories about her irrepressible character Betsy have never been out of print, and now, thanks to dynamic new covers, the Betsy books will find their way onto the bookshelves of modern young readers--and into the hearts of a whole new generation.

It's a new year, and Betsy has a new wish: She is going to play football on the boys' team. Of course, the boys refuse to play football with a girl. That is, until Betsy and Mr. Kilpatrick cook up a secret plan to win Betsy a spot on the team. . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: May 1, 2004
• ISBN: 9780547537399

Carolyn Haywood

CAROLYN HAYWOOD (1898-1990) was a native of Philadelphia. One of America's most popular authors of children's books, she published her first book, "B" Is for Betsy, in 1939, and wrote more than forty books in all. Many of her own childhood experiences can be found in her novels.

Book preview

Copyright 1945 by Harcourt, Inc.

Copyright renewed 1973 by Carolyn Haywood

All rights reserved. For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to [e-mail] or to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 3 Park Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, New York 10016.

hmhbooks.com

First Harcourt Young Classics edition 2004

First Odyssey Classics edition 1990

First published 1945

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Haywood, Carolyn, 1898—

Betsy and the boys/Carolyn Haywood,

p. cm.

An Odyssey/Harcourt Young Classic.

Sequel to: Back to school with Betsy.

Summary: Betsy and her fourth-grade friends discover football.

[1. Schools—Fiction. 2. Football—Fiction.] I. Title.

PZ7.H31496Bg 2004

[Fic]—dc22 2003056555

ISBN 0-15-205106-6 ISBN 0-15-205102-3 (pb)

eISBN 978-0-547-53739-9

v2.1218

To

Elfrieda Klauder Parker

1. Pancakes and Cream Puffs

Betsy, Billy, and Ellen had met in the first grade. They had become fast friends as they worked and played together. For three summers Ellen had gone with Betsy to spend the whole summer on Betsy’s grandfather’s farm. The third summer Billy had gone too, and the three children had played together for two long months. Now it was September and they were back in their homes, getting ready to return to school.

One morning, the week before school opened, Betsy went over to Billy’s house to spend the day. Betsy’s mother and Billy’s mother were going to a luncheon, so the two children were going to get their own lunch. They were both thrilled, for they loved to cook.

What are we going to cook? asked Betsy, as soon as she arrived.

Pancakes! shouted Billy. Pancakes!

Oh, yummy! said Betsy. They’re practically my favorite food, ‘cept cream puffs.

Billy’s mother came downstairs with her hat and gloves on. Now, Billy, she said, don’t bother Daddy unless it is absolutely necessary. He’s painting a magazine cover and he has to get it finished. I’ve given him his lunch on a tray.

O.K., said Billy.

And I expect the kitchen to be just as clean when I come back as it is now, said Mrs. Porter. Don’t get the place in a mess.

Sure, sure, said Billy. Everything will be dandy. We’ve cooked at school. We’re good.

Billy and Betsy went into the kitchen. Mrs. Porter had left the pancake batter in a pitcher. The griddle was on the stove.

I like to make ‘em one at a time, said Billy. That way you can make ‘em big.

I do too, said Betsy.

I’ll make the first one, said Billy. You get the maple syrup out of the pantry closet.

Betsy went into the pantry. She found the bottle of maple syrup and poured it into a pitcher.

Meanwhile Billy picked up the pitcher of pan-cake batter to pour it on the griddle. He grasped the pitcher by its handle, but midway between the table and the stove the handle parted from the pitcher and the pitcher fell to the floor, pouring the batter all over the linoleum.

Hey, Betsy! Billy yelled. Come quick!

Betsy rushed through the pantry door. And then, to Billy’s amazement, she slid all the way across the kitchen and right out the back door. There she landed in a heap.

Billy ran toward Betsy, but he too slipped in the batter, which Betsy, as she slid, had spread all over the floor. Billy’s slide was exactly like a baseball player sliding to second base.

Miss Mopsie-Upsie Tail, Billy’s dog, hearing the racket in the kitchen, came dashing through the pantry door. Like Betsy, she headed straight for the pancake batter. She reached it in a flash. Her legs slid from under her and she skidded on her fat little stomach right out of the door, and joined the children.

Betsy and Billy were so surprised to find themselves in this jumbled mess that for a moment they were speechless. Miss Mopsie-Upsie Tail was the first one on her feet, and before Betsy or Billy had uttered a word she had begun to lick up the pancake batter.

Billy was the first to speak. Golly! Betsy! Did you hurt yourself?

I don’t think so, said Betsy.

And then Billy began to laugh. Gee, but you looked funny sliding out the door.

Well, you looked funny, too, laughed Betsy. The two children sat on the driveway and rocked with laughter.

Finally they got up. When they looked at each other, they went off into peals again. Betsy’s arms and legs were covered with pancake batter. One side of her dress was thick with the white mixture.

You certainly are a mess, said Billy.

Well, you don’t look so good yourself, laughed Betsy. You should see the seat of your trousers. You’ve got about a dozen pancakes right there.

Maybe I ought to sit on the griddle and bake them, chuckled Billy.

This sent the children off again into fits of laughing.

When they recovered, Billy said, Well, no kidding. We’ve lost our lunch.

Betsy did the best she could to wipe the batter off herself with a wet rag.

If I can find the recipe in the cookbook, said Billy, I guess we could mix up some more batter.

Billy opened the cookbook. He thumbed through the pages. Oh, boy! he cried. Look at these pictures of desserts!

Betsy ran to the table and bent her head over the cookbook. Oh, don’t they look good! she said.

Billy turned a page. Oh, Betsy! he shouted. Lookie! Here’s a recipe for cream puffs.

Umm, yummy! said Betsy.

What do you say we make cream puffs? said Billy.

Oh, they would be too hard to make, replied Betsy.

No, they’re not, said Billy. Look, he added, pointing to the page. It just takes butter and water and flour, salt and eggs. Bet that isn’t any harder than pancakes. Come on, what do you say we make them?

I think you ought to ask your daddy first,